


Brotherly Bonds

by Endraking



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fear, Gen, Good Theo Raeken, Guilt, Hurt Nolan, Hurt/Comfort, Nolan's family is loaded, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Series, Protective Theo Raeken, Running Away, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Loathing, Writing Sprint Creation, teen wolf legacy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 17:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15635295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endraking/pseuds/Endraking
Summary: After being assaulted at school for his part in the Monroe's campaign, Nolan decides it's better for everyone if he runs away from Beacon Hills.  On his way out of town, he runs into Theo's truck and the two leave the town that either ignores their existence or wants them dead.





	Brotherly Bonds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Friendlysociopath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendlysociopath/gifts).



> This is what I've put together from an idea of what would happen to Nolan after things settled down in Beacon Hills. This was created in a couple of writing sprints hosted and I can't help but gift it to my knight. I hope you enjoy!

Gotta Get Away

 

 

The darkness fell on the empty side street that left Beacon Hills.  The street lights ended miles ago and the road conditions continued to get worse, the tiny pebbles rubbing the underside of his chucks.  Nolan sighed as he reached back to the side of his large, camping pack, and grabbed his near empty bottle of water and drank the last.  He’d have to plan this differently next time.  These shoes with no arch support and thin soles wouldn’t work and maybe more water.  He whined to himself, “But water is heavy though.”

He walked by the gravel entrance to the preserve, the bruises on his shoulders stinging as the bag cut in to them.  While part of him wanted to throw the bag on the ground and give up, the pain reminded him of why he had to leave.  The pain of his busted lip and black eye had subsided to a dull throb instead of the pierce from earlier.  He knew he had to leave.  That would be best for everyone.

He stepped off the main road and down the entrance, reflecting on the events that led to this choice.  After Monroe had fled, and the leadership of her group either died or fled, it left him.  He was the one that led the students of Beacon Hills High.  It was him that outed so many supernatural kids and pointed the crosshairs on them.  While he didn’t pull the trigger, he aimed the weapons.  Gabe’s actions and the blood on his head shifted to him.  He knew it.  So when the dust cleared, everyone looked for a culprit and their eager eyes fell on him.

He didn’t mean to hurt so many people.  He just wanted people to be safe.  No scratch that.  He wanted to feel safe and he didn't want to be alone.  When the monster tore through the library, killing his classmates, he saw the fight, but he also knew how close he came to dying.  And there were more after that event.  He couldn’t just idly sit back at just wait for it to happen again.

He remembered being so scared, so anxious that he didn’t want to leave his home.  That’s what led him to Monroe.  He knew he fell for her honeyed words, but the choices were his and his alone.  He couldn’t hide behind not knowing the full extent.  He was glad he met Liam and while he wholly regretted what he did, few forgave him. 

Scott’s pack forgave him, especially Liam and Corey.  They said to let them know if something like this ever happened, but he couldn’t do it.  How could he walk up to Liam and Corey or even Mason for that matter and say, “Hey, remember how I tried to kill you guys?  Well now people want to kill me for it.  Can you lend a hand?”

Who would ever want to listen to that?  He was alone.  He couldn’t burden them with this.  And while he’d love to rely on his parent’s protection, they were out of country again and he couldn’t bother them.  It was his mistake.  It was his choice.  He had to finally own up to his decisions.

In his reverie, he walked right into the parked blue truck and fell to the gravel with a skid and let out a whine he didn’t mean as his busted and bruised hands caught him as he fell. 

The door swung open and the angel, his savior from those dark times stepped out and looked down on him with those smoldering grey eyes.  He knew his heart skipped a beat as he scurried to get to his feet.  The dark haired supernatural smugly grinned as his silky voice asked, “Nolan, what are you doing out here?”

He got to his feet and cleared his throat to answer but the man grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the truck, leaning in close to his face.  He huffed louder from the force, the bruises lighting up with new pain.  The smooth side to the man’s voice shifting to a concern he’d heard faintly before, “What the hell happened to you?”

He bit his lip and looked away as he weakly muttered, “Nothing.”

He felt the fierce grab of his chin as the chimera yanked his face back to make eye contact.  Theo lowly spoke through a growl, “You look like someone used you as a punching bag.  I’m going to ask again, what happened to you?”

He didn’t want this.  He didn’t want to answer.  He didn’t want to burden this man who’d done nothing but save his life, time and time again.  He didn’t want to cry either, but the tears left his eyes as the words flew past his filter, “They hate me.  They blame me.  They want me to pay.”

Those intense grey eyes flashed gold, “Who did this?”

He shook his head.  How was he going to say, “You know, most of the town.  You know the people that wanted to shoot you and your friends before.  Well they can’t deal with what they did, and I am the one that is pinned with everything.”  He weakly mumbled out the words, tasting just a hint of iron again, “It’s no one.”

The chimera snorted in disgust at the statement as he pulled his hands back and stepped away.  He took a deep breath as he watched the supernatural man fume, not realizing he’d held his breath while he was pushed against the truck.  Theo almost yelled at him, “So you are going to protect them?”

Nolan looked to the gravel and kicked the stones with his flimsy black chucks, “No.  I’m just trying to protect myself.  They.  They aren’t wrong.”

Theo stepped towards him with a growl and he flinched.  He didn’t know if his body could handle if he made this man, this angel with the coifed dark hair, hurt him.  He knew he deserved it though.

After a moment of silence, Theo’s rage subsided, and he asked with his usual, endearing snark, “So what are you doing?  Running away to the preserve?  Becoming a tree person or something?”

Nolan couldn’t control the giggle, even if it caused him to groan from the bruises on his ribs.  He weakly said, “No- “but was interrupted as Theo reached forward and wrapped his right hand around the slender side of the hunter’s neck.  He felt the pain subside as the black veins crawled up the man’s arm.  His eyes widened, and the tears began to flow as he begged, “Please stop, Theo.  Please.”

Theo looked away and spoke in a distant tone, “Alright, Nolan.  Where are you going?”

Nolan bit down on his lower lip, tasting the fresh blood, before he answered, “I’ve got to leave.  It’s not safe for me and I don’t want to be the body on someone else’s head.”

Theo took a deep breath before he dropped his hand, running along Nolan’s side, “So that explains the bag.”

Nolan nodded slowly as the man’s fingers crept into his pocket and yanked out his swollen black leather wallet.  His eyes widened as Theo opened it and gasped, “What is this?”

He reached for the wallet and Theo smirked as he stepped back, “Answer the question, Little Noley!”

Nolan muttered, “I needed money for the trip.  I’ve got my debit and credit cards and I knew I needed cash.”

Theo tossed the wallet back to him and he caught it as it bounced off the center of his chest, “This has to be what?  A couple of thousand dollars?”

Nolan quickly corrected him, “Ten thousand dollars.  Some in my wallet and then the rest in my bag.  I might need to pull out more.”

Theo’s eyes bugged, “Ten Thousand dollars?!?!  Are you insane?  People are beating the shit out of you and wanting to kill you and you carry that much money?  Why?  You wanted to give them a cash prize to leave you for dead?!?!”

Nolan sighed and looked to the ground, “I never thought of it that way.”

Theo shook his head, “Where are you going?”

Nolan weakly replied, “I don’t know.  I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

The chimera rans his fingers through his hair before that beguiling grin grew and he nodded to the nervous teen, “Get in the truck.  We’ll go where ever the road takes us.”

It took a moment before the words registered and Nolan’s eyes widened, a hint of excitement in his tone, “Really?  Like, just you and me?”

Theo nodded once and replied smoothly, “You and me against the world, Noley.”

After Nolan walked to the far side of the truck and opened the door he glanced through, setting his bag in the back of the cab, and looked to Theo, “Oh, could you not call me Noley?”

Theo laughed and dramatically waved his hand as he mock bowed his head, “Whatever you want, Nolan.”

 

Theo turned the truck on and drove away from the preserve.  He followed the back roads leading out of the town, dodging the traffic and periodically looking over at Nolan.  The boy seemed to be lost, staring out the window, his eyes glazed with tears, tears the chimera knew would eventually fall.  The cab smelled of pain, regret, and sorrow and, for once, Theo knew these scents belonged to another.

They barely made it out of town when Theo noticed that the teen was fidgeting in his seat, nothing much, but enough to notice that Nolan wasn’t comfortable.  He glanced over and asked, “Are you worried about leaving?  We can head back.”

Nolan bit his lower lips as he met the gaze and Theo knew the answer from those wounded blues before Nolan replied, “No, it’s not that.  I need to leave.”  The boy’s tone quieted as he barely whispered, his face back to the passenger side window, “Thank you.”

They made it to the roadside Motel just outside of Sun Valley when Theo decided to stop.  He didn’t want to push into the larger city since plenty of people who lived in Sun Valley knew what happened in Beacon Hills and it was the closest city to the small town.  He didn’t want to risk a hunter recognizing Nolan.  He admitted to himself, he was worried about the teen.  The boy did plenty of things wrong, but he was just that, a boy.  He could scarcely believe that Beacon Hills wanted to lump all of that bad shit on the shoulders of the scared boy who didn’t understand what he was getting himself into, but he knew people well enough to know it was true.

They stepped to the counter and an inattentive, greasy haired man in a stained Hawaiian T shirt greeted them with the words, “Hourly or for the night?”

Theo felt his anger boil as Nolan looked away, red faced and embarrassed.  The chimera quickly followed, “My little brother and I would like a room for the night.”

The man rolled his eyes and fetched a key from the many labeled shelves behind him and put it on the splintering wooden counter, “That’s be $65.”

Theo reached for the key and the man pulled it back, “Up front.”

The chimera growled as Nolan pulled out his wallet and slapped down a singular hundred-dollar bill and asked, “Are there vending machines or buy as you go fridges in the rooms?”

The man greedily snatched up the bill and replied harshly, “Only take out.  Room 313.  Nope, your fridge doesn’t work.”

Nolan sighed, and Theo moved around the teen, “Then maybe you should put us in a room with a working fridge.  My little brother would like to have breakfast that isn’t sitting out all night.”

The man scoffed as he grabbed the key and exchanged it.  He placed the key on the counter, just beyond Theo’s fingertips, “Room 103.  But that’s the deluxe suite so it’ll be $75.”

Theo began to argue, and Nolan gently touched his shoulder and barely whispered, “It’s fine, Theo.  Thanks.”

They made it to the room and unpacked their bags.  Theo looked at the things Nolan brought with him, designer clothes made for school, not roughing it, even in his truck.  There were thick books that did little more than weigh him down and a couple of decorative water bottles that barely held 8 ounces of water.  The three orange containers caught his eyes, half-filled with some sort of medication.  He knew that Nolan was woefully unprepared for what kind of journey he thought he would be on.

Nolan caught him staring at the supplies and asked, his voice a bit more confident, “You think I’m stupid.  Bringing this stuff and not something that would actually help.”

Theo shook his head and graced his best faux smile, “No.  I think you’re determined.  I think you’re scared but I don’t think you are stupid.”

His words hit their mark as the smile shifted across Nolan’s battered face, stretching into his eyes.

Nolan stepped towards the bathroom after grabbing a pair of boxers and a folded lilac and white fabric, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Theo nodded and replied, “I’ll be out here.  Do you want take out?”

Nolan giddily nodded, “Yeah.  Use one of the cards from my wallet.”

Theo grabbed the wallet from the table beside their two full sized beds and placed the order.

When Nolan stepped out, he thought it was weird that the teen was covered almost head to toe in a ridiculous unicorn onesie and couldn’t help but laugh.  Nolan chuckled with him and remarked, “Shut up, Theo.  I like my pajamas.”

Theo shrugged and grabbed his white t shirt and black boxers before he cleaned himself up.

After they were cleaned up and ate the food that arrived, they laid in their beds, staring at the ceiling.  Theo heard the boy trying to go to sleep, tossing and turning, and he wasn’t surprised to catch the scent of sweat.  The AC in the room didn’t work well and those pajamas had to be uncomfortable.  Theo rolled onto his left side and faced Nolan, “Dude, just strip out of those ridiculous pajamas.  You’ll be more comfortable.”

Nolan rolled to face him and scrunched his brow as his bit his lip, slowly shaking his head.  Theo caught the shift in scent.  Embarrassment?

He decided to act rather than wait, “Nolan, you wouldn’t be the first boy I’ve seen in his underwear.  If it makes you feel better, I’ll take off my shirt.”

Theo sat up and pulled off the white t shirt, tossing it on the pile of clothes next to his beat black duffel.  He shrugged, “See, nothing to it.  Your turn.”

Nolan shook his head again and rolled over.  The chemo signals continued to get stronger.  Theo shook his head and said, “Alright, I’ll look away.”

Nolan sighed as he sat up and the chimera heard the zipper on the front of the pajamas scratch down.  He watched the thin teen stand up and slide the oversized onesie down to his feet.  His eyes widened as he caught the sight, the dim reflection of the lights outside illuminating Nolan’s back.

If the boy’s back were the night sky, one would be in awe of the colors that bloomed forth, like fireworks but these purples and blues were from anger and hatred.  Theo knew why Nolan was embarrassed now and knew why he couldn’t sit still in the truck.  His skin seemed to be covered in huge welts from the abuse he received. 

The anger grew as Theo growled, teeth clenched, “I’m going to kill them.”  He stood up and walked towards the door as Nolan rushed to him.  Those long fingers fell on his strong shoulder, barely a feather light touch with a plea, “Theo, don’t.”

Theo turned around and saw those hurt blues and the damage the mob had done to his chest.  He stepped back and exclaimed, “Nolan!  Look in the mirror!  You should be in a hospital, not running for your life.  Who let this happen?  When did this happen?  Where?”

The teen sighed and lowered his head, “I did.  I couldn’t stop them.  At school.  After I left Liam, Corey, and Mason.  They were waiting.”

Theo snarled, “And Liam did nothing to help?”

Nolan bit his lip, staring at the floor, twisting his foot against the stained mottled brown carpet before he quietly answered, “He didn’t know, I didn’t call out for help.”

Theo sighed and shook his head, carding his fingers through his hair in frustration, “Nolan.  You deserve better than this.”

The boy turned and walked back to the hard mattress and tried to relax onto it.  Theo watched him, his hand on the door knob.  The rage within wanted to drive back to Beacon Hills and murder the group that did this to him. The group that used their rage and self-loathing to assault this boy as a stand in for their lack of restraint and poor choices.  But in a small voice he heard a faint whisper, “Do you want to abandon him too?”

Slowly, his fingers pulled away from the knob and he looked at the boy, curled up, his knees to his chest, pulled tightly.  He stood, eyes locked, ears attuned to the rhythmic thump of the boy’s heart.  Of their hearts. 

He could just walk out the door, slip back to his truck and leave.  Nolan wasn’t his problem.  Nolan was already miles further than he would’ve been if he walked and he was relatively safe now.  The kid had money and could take an Uber or catch a ride to where ever he wanted to go.

His mind flashed back to those blue eyes.  The way Nolan looks up to him.  He still couldn’t answer why he saved Nolan in the past.  He didn’t owe Nolan anything.  But he had to admit, it felt good that Nolan looked up to him and trusted him, not a part of some ploy but as himself.  The thought struck him.

He hadn’t been himself in so long, he barely recognized it.

He stepped back into the room and stood over Nolan’s bed.  He watched the boy shiver, not from cold but from fighting the tactile sensations against his sensitive skin.  Theo curled up behind him, barely letting their skin touch.  Nolan gasped and caught his breath before he softly spoke, “Try to get some sleep.”

Nolan gave the tiniest nod of his head as the black veins spiderwebbed across Theo’s arms and chest.


End file.
